Here we go again.....days go by in the blink of an eye don't they?
I started a new art journal.....and for me that means another book of just letting go - it's whatever I feel like or whatever comes to me. It's a way of working without structure or a particular definitive end result in mind. By working this way I find characters emerge or a particular image comes to life that I can then upload and work with it digitally as well. But I don't force anything. It becomes a more organic process and I don't lock myself in to a certain type of medium or even genre.........it just is.
The journal started out like this (purchased from an art supply store in Santa Cruz for THE best price around)
It's Acid-free and archival, Made from 100 percent recycled material - 96 deckle edged pages. I usually end up gessoing the pages because it helps watercolors and other mediums to flow better on the page.
Of course I couldn't just leave it like that so I messed about with the cover for awhile and you can't believe how many I did and either tore it off or papered over or had to scrape off..... it was crazy. Finally I thought "what are you doing?" so I used some handmade paper I had, some bits of batik fabric, a couple wee frames, some images I drew and started just laying it all down. Added the butterfly and the metal hand just for a little extra dimension. Frankly when I was done with the cover I thought it looked like a child did it....but hey, it must have been my inner child. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
UPDATED: The cover pictured below was dismantled after I posted this.....seeing it enlarged on screen I just knew I didn't like it AT ALL and it wasn't ME. I ripped everything off down to the paper cover and gessoed over it. I will worry about the cover later on.
The image below shows the cover on the left (as it was) and one of the pages I did inside.. (click images to enlarge)
These are 2 more pages I did....which now have me thinking about a story I want to write. See how that works? Just let go and something shows up.
That's all I'm going to show from the journal for now. Below is a recent drawing I started one night while watching TV. I ended up **uploading it and digitally painting it. This was done on white cardstock. I marked it as a work in progress because...well, there's more I want to do with it. It has no name or backstory.....YET!
I think I'm in a more whimsical mood lately.....I like the characters to have stories to tell or make you (and myself too) smile to look at them.
Ever evolving.....ever changing my mind.....ever wondering what's next for me.
**When I say upload....at this point my printer/scanner is a goner and I haven't been able to replace it yet so I've had to take a photo and do it that way. It doesn't make for the best image but for now that's what I have to do. I am searching for a good printer because I have MANY cards to do that I want in my shop as soon as possible. (I think I know which one I want)
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So that's it - aren't you quivering with excitement over all this? She says tongue firmly planted in cheek. But hey, it's something for now so the same post isn't up for days on end. You know how that is. I know there are bloggers out there who post often and with great content and great photos and interesting tid bits to share. I hope to be one at some point.....but doggonit life just gets in the way sometimes. I firmly believe there are those who can completely relate to that!
So for now, I hope you are having a great start to your week.
P.S. I thought I'd leave you with a photo of Sadey all dressed up - she wears her bandana 24/7 now without bothering....as it gets dirty I change it out for a new one. I think it goes well with her coloring.
